Video: On the First Friday of Ramadan, Occupation Forces Impose Strict Restrictions on Worshippers Entering Jerusalem

SadaNews - Today, Friday, Israeli occupation forces imposed strict restrictions on the entry of worshippers coming from the West Bank to the occupied city of Jerusalem to perform the first Friday prayer of the holy month of Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Despite the heightened military restrictions, thousands of citizens gathered since this morning at the Qalandiya military checkpoint, where the occupation army strengthened its forces and scrutinized citizens' identities, preventing men under 55 years and women under 50 years who did not have "special permits" from entering Jerusalem.

Eyewitnesses reported that the occupation forces turned back dozens of elderly people at the Qalandiya and Bethlehem checkpoints who were on their way to Al-Aqsa Mosque, claiming they lacked the necessary permits to enter.

Sources indicated that the occupation detained four paramedics and obstructed the work of press and medical teams at the Qalandiya checkpoint.

The occupation forces also imposed restrictions on worshippers entering Al-Aqsa Mosque, checking the identities of young men at the entrances to the Old City and the mosque gates, preventing many of them from entering.

The Governor of Jerusalem stated that the occupation authorities prevented citizens from entering Jerusalem from the Qalandiya checkpoint, citing that the allowed number of entrants had been reached, while thousands were trapped at the checkpoint, and the occupation refused to allow them entry into Jerusalem.

She noted that the occupation authorities tightened their measures around Jerusalem by imposing entry restrictions, spreading checkpoints, and constricting those arriving in the city, as a step aimed at reducing the number of worshippers.

It was highlighted that these measures also represent an attack on the work of Islamic endowments in Jerusalem and a direct targeting of the role and authority of the Waqf Department in managing the affairs of the mosque, amid attempts to impose new realities that affect the status quo. This was mentioned during a meeting with the Director of the Media Department in the Governorate of Jerusalem, Omar Rajoub, during an interview on Palestine TV.